Are we soon going to see a LeBron James-DeJounte Murray pairing in LA? With their latest 116:127 loss against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers have slipped below 50% win again. Since their perimeter defense has been a big issue, the team is having a hard look at Atlanta Hawks’ point guard Dejounte Murray. As per the Athletic’s Sam Amick, the Lakers are ahead of the pack to land the two-way guard. 

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Appearing on the Athletic NBA Show, Amick revealed that Murray landing in Lakers has “very real legs”. When David Aldrdidge queried which team is going to “make a real move” before the end of the trade deadline, Amick touched upon the Murray rumors. He brought up how he talked to “people who are in the know, but don’t truly know” about the Murray situation.

“Our[The Athletic’s] Shams Charania has reported that the offers have gotten back and forth. There were some chatter that the Hawks would ideally love to get their hands on Austin Reaves, you know that’s not gonna happen,” explained Sam Amick.

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The NBA insider expressed that the Lakers have ‘locked in” on the 2018 steals leader and now it’s just about how much time Hawks GM Landry Fields will take to finalize it. Aldridge wondered how the Lakers would get it done without rising star Austin Reaves as D’Angelo Russell’s trade value has declined because of shooting inconsistencies. While Aldridge downplayed D’Angelo Russell’s involvement in getting the deal done, his colleague Shams Charania has hinted that it may be a possibility.

Will LeBron James and the Lakers land DeJounte Murray?

On the Run It Back show, Charania disclosed that the Hawks have shown interest in involving D’Angelo Russell. They also want a 2029 first-round pick and a pick swap in exchange for Murray. The NBA insider explained they also want a third team to be involved in the trade to send Russell there. Charania revealed,

“The hold-up was that Atlanta[Hawks] wanted to find a third team for D’Angelo Russell. He has got a player option for next season.”

At the same time, he also believed that these two teams would “circle back” on the negotiation table to get the deal done potentially involving Russell.

To further fuel the rumors of Russell’s departure, Lakers fans were pondering his exit when a clip of him crying surfaced. This happened after the lefty dropped 34 points against the Trail Blazers in a win but appeared gutted. The same contemplations regarding Rui Hachimura are also in play.

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Rui was also seemingly crying after the win. The forward has missed a lot of games this season and is hunting for a rhythm. These two may have figured out that their days with the franchise are numbered. However, the reason for these reactions remains unknown.

At any rate, considering the current state of affairs, Anthony Davis is often found on a lonely island on defense. Their perimeter is breached regularly which means perhaps the Lakers’ management needs to bring in a lockdown defender. Murray can be the answer and his salary of around $17 million won’t extend cap troubles. Apart from that, his fit alongside LBJ and AD as a lane runner is enticing.

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